Three Roads Never Travelled
by a thousand winds
Summary: Three paths to power that Lassen didn't walk. [AU, dark]


**Title:** Three Roads Not Travelled  
**Day/Theme: **13th December/"Of unkissed kisses"  
**Series:** Vampire Game  
**Character/Pairing:** Lassen (vague implied Lassen/Hume, Lassen/Ishtar)  
**Rating:** PG-13/12, for violence and a wisp of necrophilia

* * *

_I._ _inheritance_

Lassen, rightful King of St Pheliosta, lolled indolently on his throne. It was always nice to get a moment to yourself, especially with all the trouble recently.

He frowned slightly, contemplating the beginning of the riots in Zi Alda. The Princess of Mil Seii had always hated him; he wasn't sure why. Since she'd married Yuujel two years ago, Zi Alda had become a hotbed for rebels. (Not that it hadn't always been, but having the two bastard sprigs of the Pheliostan royal house marry each other hadn't been the best of plans.) Now that La Naan had ranged themselves on Zi Alda's side, claiming justifiable concerns about Lassen's fitness to rule, the problem had become much more serious. Perhaps he should have agreed to marry Ramia's daughter after all, no matter the unpleasant surprise that he had suspected he was in for on their wedding night.

There was a clap, as if of thunder, and Hume dropped to the ground, bleeding copiously from his shoulder. He was pushing his fingers into the wound over and over again, his face contorting with pain, trying to stem the flow of it. Lassen leapt to his feet, shouting for the doctors, but Hume shook his head.

"Illsaide sent me," he said thickly, groaning a little as he rammed his thumb into the injury. "Ci Xeneth – uprising, there's an uprising in Ci Xeneth. He's dealing with it, but I really don't think it's a good idea…" He forced himself up on his knees. "I really don't think it's a good idea for him to massacre his own people." He grinned, but his lips were pale with blood loss.

"Who is it?" demanded Lassen, running his mind over the list of possible suspects. Vord was fairly popular in Ci Xeneth, the gods knew why, but the people worshipped their angelic fairytale Princess Falan and loathed Princess Ishtar. (It was from there that most of the rumours about Ishtar originated – Lassen was particularly fond of the one about her and the Vampire Marquis.) Illsaide wasn't as loved, but they'd take him over Yuujel any day. The only non-Ci Xenether who they'd listen to was Lassen and Lassen's own Captain of the Royal Guard, Darres…

He went cold as Hume confirmed his fear. "It has to be – I spoke to the court magicians before and they can't find him…" Hume, seeing Lassen's face, struggled to sit up, but Lassen pushed him back down.

"You should take more care of yourself in battle, Hume," he reproached. He _needed_ Hume, even more than he had when he was conquering Lodoc.

"Funny – it's you saying that – " Hume was laughing faintly. The surgeon rounded the corner and Lassen rose, striding over to him and grasping him by the collar.

"If he dies, so do you."

The last sound he heard before touching his lilke ring was the doctor's fervent assurances. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a market square. Illsaide was holding out a hand to a man dressed in Zi Aldan livery, his fingers splayed and his expression so utterly blank that Lassen felt physically sick. While Illsaide's bloodlust could be valuable on occasion, it was something that Lassen had never grown used to.

"Illsaide, wait," he called and jogged over to stop him.

There were lengths that even Lassen wouldn't go to to keep his kingdom.

_II. marriage_

When the Prince of Mil Seii married the Queen of St Pheliosta, there was almost universal rejoicing. The celebrations lasted for ten days and whenever either was seen in public they were cheered loudly and unanimously. The wedding feast was the most lavish in years and everyone who was anyone was invited.

With all the happiness around, one might have been forgiven for supposing the couple to be truly in love – not so. One might have been forgiven for supposing that everyone in the capital was delighted by the union – not so. One might have been forgiven for supposing that there would be no storms ahead – _not so_.

The first signs of trouble came when Queen Ishtar became pregnant. There were rumours about court, whispers of the Queen having inherited her mother's delicate constitution.

She certainly _looked_ very pale, said the murmurers.

But then, it was such a hot summer, wasn't it, and a pregnancy was never easy, added the sceptics.

The Queen's friends said nothing but:

"Are you all right, Ishtar?"

"You'd tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn't you, Ish?"

and "Don't drink that tea, Your Majesty. I'll make you a fresh pot."

When Ishtar died in childbirth, no one was particularly surprised, not even her friends.

"Always was sickly, the poor dear…"

"Childbed's dangerous at any age…"

"He murdered her."

"Yes."

The King was shocked and horrified and completely devastated, which was why he married Queen Lailis of Lodoc a year later, infuriating the nation.

_III. murder_

Lassen was walking through a necropolis.

Sharlen's magic had done its trick, killing off the guards as they stumbled blindly through the doorway to the room where Lassen was. His new-found cousin Darres had died with a look of hatred plastered over his face; Yuujel had died with that eternal smile finally shattered into frustrated anger; and that infernal woman-child…

Well. That was who he was looking for, of course.

He found her in the throne room, oddly enough, and it looked as if Ishtar had defended the throne that she'd hated so fiercely to the death. She was sprawled across the steps, sword clenched in one hand and her face strangely relaxed.

Lassen bent down and traced her mouth with a long finger, running it over her plump bottom lip. It was chapped and scarred from where she had torn at it with frustration so many times. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes were wide; she had been surprised by her death.

He amused himself for a while by stroking her cheek and moving his fingers over the soft contours of her face; an action that she would never have permitted in life. Eventually he gave into temptation and pressed his mouth to hers in a grotesque parody of a lovers' embrace. He slipped his tongue inside and touched hers, stilled for once – forever. He rather liked the thought. Marrying an Ishtar like this wouldn't have been bad. Would have been positively delightful, in fact, as well as infinitely simpler.

"My lord." Hume's voice was soft in the darkness. Lassen rose, smiling slightly.

"I'm coming."

He stepped away from Ishtar's body and walked towards the door and his future.


End file.
